For Want of a Sake Cup
by Octavia Brown
Summary: ...half of the Seiretei was kept up late, a game of cards was disrupted and wall was destroyed, all for want of a sake cup.  Drinking, language, violence, and of course naughtiness! RenjiXRangiku with some IchigoxRukia
1. A Drink was Lost

Right, time to play with writing in chapters. I don't know why I decided on trying out this pairing, normally I like RanxShuu and I fully believe in RukixRenji. But I had the idea that if Renji and Rangiku ever fooled around there would be a lot of property damage!

Thanks for reading!

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><p>It began on less than innocent terms, and no one was really surprised where it ended up. Only the damage assessment was really shocking. The lieutenants frequently banded together and went out drinking on their nights off. They regularly drank to excess, they usually caused a ruckus and they were often tossed out of bars for bawdy speech or songs that scandalized even the late night crowds of some of the more unsavory neighborhoods of the Rukongai. It was a losing fight. They were good customers, paid their tabs and were practically an attraction unto themselves. Who wouldn't want to be at the bar where the curvaceous blond might decide to climb on the table and shake her money maker? Who would pass hearing the dirty jokes coming out of the man with a "69" on his cheek? And who didn't want to be around when the tattooed man with the shock of red hair started to groove to whatever music was playing, grabbing the nearest available girl and twirling her around like she was nothing – and eagerly taking on any jealous boyfriends. Even the morose-looking blond man who hung out with them turned out to simply be fairly practical and friendly with a deep caring streak.<p>

It happened one evening when one of the bouncers of a particular establishment already had them under his steady gaze. Shuuhei had Kira in stitches, a genial arm around his neck, and was polishing off a gem about a Scotsman who found a present under his kilt. Kira had heard it before but, flushed with sake and his friend's close proximity, laughed along anyway. Renji wrapped up a dance with a pretty girl and sent her stumbling away with a pat on the bottom – luckily with no angry boyfriends to contend with this time. He poured out a measure of sake for himself, leered at Rangiku at a particularly salacious point in Shuuhei's joke, and gave a full belly laugh at the punchline. Rangiku of course leered right back and threw her head back and laughed as well.

The music changed and a tall, black haired man sauntered up to Rangiku. He tapped her on the shoulder and asked for a dance. Rangiku took a moment to fob off a look of mock ladylike shock to the men in her party before accepting and bouncing off with him. The men were stunned for a half a second and then laughed again. Rangiku certainly had feminine charms that could make any man's head spin but any nod to being demure was at best sarcastic.

Renji pushed himself off the table and pointed to his cup of sake. Over the music he shouted, "I'm gonna hit the head! Don't let anyone take that!" Kira and Shuuhei nodded to him and returned to their lewd jokes.

On his way back out of the bathroom Renji splashed water on his face. He was right at the line of sake intake where he could slow it down and still ride a good buzz for a while, but if he kept up the rate he had established he would soon be sick. He grinned to himself in the mirror, but there was definitely another dance in him. _Maybe that adorable barmaid with the upturned nose. Might be fun to make her scream._

Walking back to the table Renji saw a flushed Rangiku wend her way back from the opposite end of the room and, like in a slow-motion bad dream, watched her grab his cup and drink his sake before he or the other men could stop her. "HEEYYYY! Dammit that was mine!"

Face red, Kira looked up. "Oh man, I'm so sorry I just noticed Rangiku walk up. And um…we just finished the last of the sake!"

"What the hell Rangiku! That was my sake!"

"Well how the hell was I supposed to know, it's not like your name was on it!" To suit the childish comment she stuck her tongue out at Renji.

"Gah! You were sitting over there, that's your cup right over there!"

"It doesn't have my name on it either. Whatever, let's just get more sake."

"Yeah right, give me back my cup."

"No way, finders keepers!" A hand curled around the cup and pressed it into the woman's generous breasts.

"Like that's gonna work!" Renji lunged for the cup knowing full well that Rangiku was waiting for a reason to Flash to the top of the table.

Rangiku looked back at Renji, intending to give him a victorious grin when her eyes went wide and she had barely enough time to Flash to a tabletop two parties over to avoid Renji's grab. In the midst of cries from startled – and somewhat entertained – patrons, Renji shouted, "You are so gonna pay!" He readied himself to jump to the spot Rangiku went to next.

With a "hah! make me!" the race was on.

Kira and Shuuhei stumbled to their feet in time to watch the drunken shinigami race each other out of the bar. Their smiles fell a little when the pretty barmaid with the upturned nose faced them down with a bouncer at her side, identical frowns etched on their faces. At the table two parties over a woman was crying about a drink that had spilled on her lap.


	2. Restraint was Lost

Outside he bar, under deepening night Rangiku laughed uproariously as she danced around on any structure her eyes lit upon. Post to wall to rooftop, Renji was only a heartbeat behind but not close enough to catch her. "What's the matter," she called back, "I thought you were lieutenant to the shunpo master! I'd have thought you'd have learned a thing or two!"

"Dammit," growled Renji. Of course the sake he'd drunk addled his ability to use flashstep at the top of his ability, but the same should also be true about Rangiku. No way could he let her best him! His mind raced through strategies and came up with one. A long shot, but not impossible. He waited for Rangiku to leap again and instead of following he pointed a finger, "Bakudo number 30: Shitotsu Sansen!"

A bright triangle appeared before him and from each vertex a yellow arrow shot toward the Squad 10 Lieutenant. It was an impressive light display, but little more. They simply didn't have the power to attain a velocity necessary to trap Rangiku in place; they flew past her and cracked a wall before shattering. Renji's control of his reiatsu was such that while Rangiku had little trouble avoiding the trap she honestly was surprised by it, never having thought that Renji would use a kido spell when everyone knew he was bad at them. It was that moment of surprise and having to devise an evasion that Renji was going for. He knew she'd never be caught by such a weak spell, but he would never have survived as Byakuya Kuchiki's lieutenant if he didn't have some capacity for tactics.

Barely had Rangiku dodged the Shitotsu Sansen when she collided with Renji. She was unprepared and fell to the ground with an "oof!" Renji, meanwhile, was expecting it and made off with the sake cup issuing a gleeful "HAH!"

Now it was his turn to run from rooftop to rooftop, lamp post to lamp post. The pretty shinigami watched him put some distance between them as she dusted herself off. "No way!" Rangiku launched herself after the red haired man.

She had to race at top speed to get within striking distance, but the advantage of being this far back was he couldn't dictate minute, time-wasting changes of direction in her path. When Rangiku determined he was close enough she summoned her reiatsu properly, pointed a finger and cried out, "Bakudo number 62: Hyapporankan!" This spell worked much more in line with how shinigami were taught at the academy as a white shaft of light became a hundred rods driving Renji into the ground. From the middle of a crater Renji stared up at Rangiku falling on him, brown eyes huge.

As Rangiku approached the fallen man a small red mote caught her eye. She barely jumped clear of the Shakkaho as it exploded, knocking off tiles from a building a few feet away. Above her the audacious man shouted, "Now just buy me a drink of sake and we can call it even!"

Stunned, Rangiku rubbed her eyes. _How the hell had he…?_ She looked at the crater on the ground where she was sure she'd trapped Renji. The Hyapporankan was swiftly disintegrating without the lieutenant in its midst. "What the HELL?" she screamed at him.

Renji laughed as he ran off again. "Just so happens I did pick up a few things from the boss. That was utsusemi, the cicada illusion only us shunpo masters know!"

"Shit." Rangiku scrunched up her face. At this point Renji was rubbing her face in it. _And what was up with the Shakkaho?_ Even knowing it wouldn't be strong enough to hurt her he had a lot of nerve using battle tactics like that. _Fine then._ She hopped to the top of a nearby building to put him in line of sight and unsheathed her zanpakuto. If he wanted to see nerve she would show him plenty. "Growl, Haineko!"

The blade of her sword dissolved into ash and, at her direction, shot forth toward the fleeing shinigami. Rangiku leapt a few rooftops toward Renji to close the distance and then sharply twisted the handle. "Neko rinbu," she muttered and the ash became a swirling nimbus around Renji. Renji, of course, had stopped, recognizing the ash for what it was and knowing better than to try to dive through Haineko's sheering wall. "Give it back," Rangiku called out. "Or I'll shred your clothes and you can walk it back to the bar in rags! Well, rags if I'm feeling generous."

"Che." _How'd it get to this_? He tossed the sake cup out of the twisting ash. He knew Rangiku well enough to tell that she'd make good on forcing him into a walk in his underwear – if he was lucky.

Once the cup was in her hands again, Rangiku withdrew Haineko. As she was sheathing her zanpakuto Renji dove for her. "This isn't over yet, woman!" Her flashstep was flawless but her reaction was just late enough that Renji (accidentally) brushed his fingers over a prominent breast. The race was on once again.

As they cleared out of the area a man in an elaborate pink haori watched them from the barracks of his squad. A grin spread over his face. "What a wonderful evening exercise!" he mused to himself. "I wonder if Nanao-chan would be game. I should certainly find out!"


	3. Order was Lost

Rangiku felt good about setting the pace once again but understood perfectly that Renji had a slight advantage in a few key areas. _Damn_, she thought to herself, _if Haineko weren't so lazy that wouldn't be an issue!_

Somewhere in the depths of her mind her soul sword growled, _don't you dare blame me, chickie._

_Yeah, yeah. Wait, now I'm arguing with myself._ Rangiku looked around at the buildings. They had passed the Squad 8 barracks, and were now flying past Squad 7. _Hmm. _A sly smile came to her full lips. She decided to see just how much her drinking buddy would dare for a sake cup.

She found her way to the Kuchiki house and dropped into the garden by the koi pond. Without stopping to look for Renji she doffed her sandals and ran into the house, fighting to suppress her reiatsu. Rangiku knew she had little to no time. It wasn't just Renji she had to worry about here; a certain persnickety Captain could be lurking about and he certainly didn't feel the need to hold back if he decided not to tolerate trespassers! _Let's see, maybe through here._

Outside Renji skidded to a halt a dozen feet over the roof of the house. Damn, that woman had him in a fix. Go after her and more than likely incite the wrath of his Captain or give up the chase, face the humiliation and probably still get a dressing down from Captain Kuchiki. "AARRGH!" Renji threw himself at the garden. There he suppressed his reiatsu and tugged off his sandals. He spotted a hastily discarded pair next to a sliding door and grinned. A lucky break for him._ Heh, you're getting sloppy, sweetheart._ He tucked both pairs of sandals into his shihakusho, under the waist sash.

_Let's see._ She must have been suppressing her reiatsu as well. Not too far inside he could detect a couple – he grunted – it was Rukia and Ichigo. They weren't doing much so it was hard to say if they knew what was going on. He took a step and then froze. Deeper in the house he could feel it. A cold sweat started to pour down his back. Byakuya Kuchiki was home.

Rangiku had pulled open a shoji screen expecting…well she didn't really know what to expect. She just wanted a place to mount an ambush. She hadn't considered running into Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki playing cards. Oddly Ichigo had taken off his black outer kimono. She almost forgot her haste as a dozen salacious questions crowded her mind. But as much fun as the blush blossoming on the boy's face was looking, Rukia reminded her of the situation with a loud, "Uhhmm."

Rangiku leapt to the first thing that came to mind. "I think this cup belongs here." She held out the sake cup. "Where do you store the porcelain?"

Rukia stared at her. Then she decided that whatever the hell that blatant lie was supposed to mean she didn't care. She pointed at another pair of shoji screens leading deeper into the house. "Hallway's through there, make a left. Third door on the right is the formal dining room. Look for the lacquered cabinet with inlayed pearl like a cherry tree."

Rangiku bobbed a short bow and snapped open the shoji screens making a swift exit.

Ichigo had barely managed to pull his jaw off the floor when Renji stormed in with an odd bulge under his kimono. "Where's—" he mechanically followed the direction of Rukia's pointing finger with his eyes. "Thanks." He dove through the shoji doors, slapping them back in place so hard they bounced open again by a hair.

Ichigo and Rukia stared at each other as they listened to the footsteps down the hallway. "What the hell," began Ichigo.

"Don't look at me, you know everything I do." Rukia pushed forward a chit.

Ichigo made a face and saw her raise. "I had to jump through a dozen hoops just to get permission to spend the weekend here. Kind of gave me the feeling your brother doesn't like guests, especially unannounced."

"He doesn't. I have no idea what Rangiku-san and Renji are thinking." She frowned at her cards and pushed forward another chit, though more slowly this time.

Ichigo tried not to feel excited about her frown. He advanced a chit of his own. _That's it, cautiously so she won't bolt. I've got you this time!_

"Anyway he's a lot better with having you around than Renji. Even though he could keep an eye on me and Renji when we were together it.…" They both winced at the sounds of a small shriek and the sound of smashing glass. A muffled male grunt followed on the shriek. Rukia sighed. "It was something like that."

Ichigo turned in the direction of the sound, though he couldn't see anything through the wall. "Uh… sorry I'm not so exciting."

"Tsh, yeah right. I'm pretty sure I'll live longer without excitement like that. By the way, it looks like call. Got something that can beat my three aces?"

"Uh." Ichigo felt like he was punched in the stomach. He had a pair of fours and a pair of tens. He dropped the hand face down. "No." _Dammit she's not supposed to shark me on a game I just taught her!_

"Hah well it's good you decided to try to string me along instead of raising. This time you only lose your tabi." She pointed to his feet.

Down the hall from Rukia and Ichigo footsteps resumed, this time toward the room they were in. Quick little steps carried a giggling Rangiku into the room where she didn't pause but plowed forward into the doors leading outside.

Not even a second behind a flustered Renji ran in, hair unbound, sandals in his hands. _Sandals in his hands?_ "Dude, what the hell," attempted Ichigo.

Renji tossed one pair toward the couple. "Put these away somewhere safe, please! I almost got her!"

"DUDE!" shouted Ichigo. "What the HELL is going on?"

"She kissed me!" Renji fairly screamed. He threw himself outside and pulled on his sandals as quickly as he could while extending his senses to locate her reiatsu.

"Renji." A cool voice off to his side made Renji's blood run cold.

Outside in the shadow of the eaves Renji's Captain regarded him coldly. He bowed deeply and managed to croak, "Sir?"

"What is the meaning of this? Why is my household being disturbed so late at night and why is your appearance so…disheveled?"

"I can only offer my most humble apologies, Captain. A…competition…between Lieutenant Matsumoto and me got a bit out of hand. I swear to you sir, you won't be troubled further by it tonight and I will see to any repairs or replacements first thing in the morning." For the first time Renji realized tonight was going to have a heck of a price tag. He started sweating profusely.

"And…your hair? Collateral damage as well?"

"Uh, actually I fell for an ambush, sir. Her objective was my hair tie, it seems."

Byakuya was silent for a long moment. "I see." The Squad 6 Captain looked out over the garden and beyond to something Renji couldn't fathom. "When a demon cat steals your hair tie you're already doomed." He caught sight of Renji's baffled face and cleared his throat. "Lieutenant Abarai, I hereby order you to capture Lt Matsumoto and retrieve your hair tie this night. The two of you will be held responsible for any damages. If you do not, you will bear the full responsibility of all damages resulting from this competition. Furthermore, if you fail in this mission you will present your resignation as my lieutenant in the morning. The pride of Squad 6 is at stake. Do I make myself clear?"

Renji's stomach felt like a great iron hand was gripping it tight._ How the hell did it get this far?_ "I understand completely, sir! I'll take care of it!" Renji took another deep bow and flash stepped away before he'd finished standing up again.

Byakuya watched his lieutenant track for Rangiku's reiatsu and disappear over the buildings down the street. He told himself what he felt was anger. Not nostalgia or sorrow for what once was. No. Never that. Without glancing inside he closed the shoji doors that led to the room in which Rukia and Ichigo were playing strip poker. The head of the Kuchiki clan continued his walk around the perimeter of his house.


	4. The Fight was Lost

_She'll stick to rooftops and ledges now. Probably._ Renji guessed based on Rangiku's shoeless status but admitted that it wasn't much to go on. At first he had panicked when he took leave of his Captain. What if she called the race now? What if she suppressed her reiatsu? What if she hid behind someone way more eager to fight him, maybe Captain Zaraki? _What the hell is even going on here?_ The relief that flooded him when he located her reiatsu again was immense. So immense, in fact, that he was surprised at the warm sense of relief that spread from his belly, both up into his chest and…_down._ There was a loosening below his waist and he licked his lips. She had let him find her. The race was still on.

Renji shoved away the thoughts and sensations that didn't help. He had his orders. And dammit, now he owed her… well, something… for that "ambush." The series of events was jumbled in his head. Once he had realized she was trying to stash the cup in the Kuchiki house, looking for the dining room made the most sense. Where better to hide a fallen leaf than a forest floor, right? He certainly never anticipated her to still be in the room. Even more than that, he never expected her to grab his arms from behind him and knock him to the floor.

He had tried to propose a trade, the cup for her sandals but that suddenly turned into a tussle over the sandals. So he tried to relieve her of her scarf…from there things got knocked over while she pulled his hair tie free and when he'd managed to hook an arm around her to pin her down, she'd kissed him! _What. The. HELL._ In the moment of his stunned surprise she'd put a knee to his gut and easily escaped – sans sandals but in possession of the damned cup and now his hair tie. Oh he was going to make her pay, all right.

Renji narrowed his eyes as he moved toward the spot where he'd located her. It was disturbingly close to Squad 11. Whatever the hell she was planning this time, he wasn't letting his guard down. In fact, he wasn't going to go easy either. Her little stunt had raised the stakes more than she knew. Dammit, he liked his job, even if his boss was a little on the sociopathic side! That's what seemed to make for a good Captain, after all. _Her lips were so soft._ Renji narrowed his eyes and shook his head vigorously in a silent scream to get rid of the memory. She was going down. She was going to help him pay for the repairs AND she was going to buy him a whole jug, hell, a whole CRATE of sake.

He found her in an alley between Squad 11 and 10. He kept his distance wondering what she was planning this time. Certainly she could feel his reiatsu by now. One hand on his zanpakuto, he called out, "Hey, Rangiku! How long is this supposed to go?"

"Sokatsui!"

Renji threw himself hard to the side trying to dodge Rangiku's attack but was too late. He toppled into the wall surrounding Squad 11 barracks, collapsing a part of it. He dropped to his hands and knees, momentarily dazed. "Dammit, woman." Shortly he was going to have to get very rough.

"I want my shoes back!"

"I ain't got 'em!" This time Renji dodged the kido blast in time, though it took down even more of the wall behind him. He ground his teeth. He unsheathed his zanpakuto and flash stepped to the wall around the corner from where he felt Rangiku's reiatsu. At mid-range Renji only had Zabimaru against Haineko and her kido attacks, and Zabimaru was not a weapon for anything short of grievous bodily harm. At close range at least they could talk. He really didn't want to hurt her, but….

"Come on, Rangiku, this is stupid. Just give me back my hair tie and I'll tell you where your shoes are. You can keep the damn cup."

"Shit." Rangiku's voice was soft, breaths shallow. She felt desperate. "No way, you have to beat me. It's way past the point of just giving up."

"_What the fuck, Rangiku?_" howled Renji, long past exasperation. He pushed his head back against the wall and stared balefully at the stars. "You know what, you remind me of a cat. It was back when I was a kid in Inuzuri. All the kids wanted to play with it and pet but it seemed to hang out with us only for the scraps of food. It would run when we tried to touch it, but never run too far. One day it ran up a tree in an attempt to get away, only to find out that the tree didn't go on forever or connect to anything else. And of course, it was scared of heights so it started yowling all pitifully. So I climbed up after the damn thing to try to get it down again. It scratched the fuck out of me all the way down and wouldn't let me touch it again after that." Renji fell silent. He wasn't sure what it meant other than he was very, very annoyed.

Around the corner of the wall Rangiku bit her lip. She lived for teasing and having fun. Watching men get flustered around her was practically her raison d'etre. On quiet, slow days, in between naps she might sometimes admit to herself it was easier than seeking a real relationship. But she felt so alive and thrilled when men had to put forward the effort to get her attention. Occasionally, every so often, and once in a while things went a little too far. She couldn't find the finish line. She couldn't prove herself more than the man could handle. And she couldn't quite give in. The question, though, was when exactly had tonight's contest between _friends_ turned into the sort of teasing she did with a _man_?

She heard Renji speak again, "Rangiku." _Crap._

"Shut up and fight!" Rangiku wheeled around the corner swinging Haineko. She met Zabimaru with a loud clang. In that moment Rangiku knew she was going to lose. She wasn't half as good at swordplay as Renji and if they resorted to their zanpakuto's powers again his bankai would crush her.

Even with a wall at his back, Renji easily controlled the fight. He was quite aware that he didn't have to pull out all the stops to best Rangiku in sword fighting. She had numerous openings; she ignored potential strikes with a better chance of landing in favor of wide slashing cuts that he could easily block. _Now what is she playing at?_ He kept alert for the gathering of reiatsu in case she tried another kido attack but none came.

Renji gritted his teeth. She just wouldn't stop slashing; her swings were wild, erratic even. In a training hall an instructor would have called this sparring match already. Should he disarm her? She might switch to kido then. He could try to disable her. He loathed the idea, though. All of his training screamed against such an overwhelming response for a fighter who wasn't his match. He pressed his attacks and Rangiku struggled to keep her footing. _I guess sandals make a real difference out on the street._

It was then they heard the applauding and whistling. Renji brought Zabimaru down onto Rangiku's block and took the time to look while the swords stayed in place. A small crowd of shinigami from Squad 11 had gathered to watch. _I should have figured._

Rangiku swore. She had allowed her frustration to get her into a fight she couldn't win; she had hesitated at accepting a way out and all it had done was open her up to humiliation.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "I got dibs to fight who ever wins!" That got everyone else in the group calling out their position in the order. Small skirmishes broke out over who should fight whom.

_Ok this is just bullshit._ Renji ducked under another wild swing and caught Rangiku's forearm at the point of furthest extension, yanking her off her feet. While she was still off balance he squatted and wrapped his arm around her knees and pressed them to his chest. In one move Renji hoisted Rangiku into the air and flash stepped to the roof top of Squad 10 barracks.

Rangiku squawked at the manhandling, more out of surprise than anything.

"Listen, demon cat," he called to her. "You can slice me up if you want, but then you'll fall from this height and you'll have no one to blame but yourself. I'm going to put away Zabimaru and then I'm going to take you home. I'm done. You got it?"

After a moment Rangiku gave up struggling and with a grunt said, "I got it."

"Great." Renji swatted her bottom with the flat of his sword and then sheathed it. She jolted, about to protest and then… smacked his ass with her hand. Renji chuckled, sighted the entrance to her quarters and Flash stepped to it.

From a second floor veranda in the Squad 11 barracks a lean man with nary a hair on his head watched his former student be a gentleman to an opponent he could have sliced to ribbons and skip beating her outright in favor of leaving the scene with her in a compromised position. He grunted. _Kid's gone and learned a couple interesting new moves._


	5. All for Want of a Sake Cup pt 1

So very sorry this took much longer than I thought to get online! Thanks for the review Maiko122, I hope the wait is worth it. Final chapter tomorrow.

Obviously I don't own Bleach, I don't make any money from this story, _Now on with the fun!_

At the entrance to her quarters, Rangiku heaved herself off of Renji's shoulder and sheathed Haineko. She pulled out key to the door but on entering it into the lock Renji's hand came down on hers. "First I need my hair tie."

She looked up at him incredulously. "Jeez aren't you being anal about a fancy rubber band?"

"I'm not the one..! I'll explain in a minute. I just need it."

Rangiku turned so she faced Renji completely. She held out a hand and shook it so the sleeve fell back exposing the tie around her wrist. She placed her hand against Renji's cheek. "Here it is."

Renji knew he was blushing and he knew she could see and probably feel it too. With both hands he took the hand on his cheek, pulled it away just a little so he could remove the hair tie, and then set it back to his flushed cheek. "Thank you."

Rangiku winked at him. "Suit yourself, I like it down, personally." She drew her hand down the side of his face and along his neck before pulling it away. Then she turned her attention back to the door.

Renji made a mental note of Rangiku's preference. "So, ah…"

"Save it. You don't think I want you to leave after all that, do you?" She put a hand on the doorknob and looked into the distance.

Renji frowned for a moment. Perhaps she imagined he wanted to excuse himself after seeing her home. In fact, he meant to explain about Captain Kuchiki and how they would eventually have to face the repair costs of the night's "chase." "Have to say, that was a heck of a workout."

Rangiku smiled and looked back at Renji. "So, I was wondering, Renji. What was up with that fight? If you needed to beat me so bad why not beat me? Or if you were sick of the whole thing why not go home? You kept me waiting so long in that alley I was starting to get worried that's what happened."

Renji looked into Rangiku's clear blue eyes. "Hm. Where to start." He drew in a breath. Then he took a step toward her and swiftly wrapped both arms around her, pressing his lips to hers. She was unbelievably soft, luscious like the petals on a rose that hadn't yet opened. Renji's mind reeled.

Rangiku inhaled through her nose and reveled in Renji's scent, all sweat and musk. To keep her balance she grabbed a fistful of Renji's kimono. The man did a damn fine job of just about anything he put his mind to.

Eventually their lips parted and Renji leaned his head down until their foreheads were touching. He couldn't hold back a bit of a snigger. "Did you plan _any_ of this?"

Rangiku's laughter rang out. "Do I ever? Moment to moment is the only way I can make sure I'm having any fun."

"So like a cat meowing up in a tree." Renji slipped his hands over Rangiku's hips, mindful of Haineko..

Rangiku rolled her eyes as she loosened her grip on Renji's kimono. "And another thing, where did that 'demon cat' thing come from?" She tried to pout and sound hurt but it wasn't particularly convincing.

"Oh that." Renji decided not to mention that Captain Kuchiki had brought it up first. He still didn't know why he had said it and just hoped his Captain had no history with Rangiku. "I don't exactly know. But it does remind me, Rangiku. We kind of made a mess out there. While you were in the alley I was delayed by Captain Kuchiki who made it clear we were going to have to take responsibility for repairs."

"Piffle" declared Rangiku with a dismissive wave of the hand. "I knew that, but it's hardly such a serious matter."

"It'll be a serious matter when we to deal with it first thing in the morning. The people whose property we damaged are going to be very interested in seeing that we get to it." Renji frowned. There was a drawback to being such a sunny, breezy person, and it occasionally involved not taking situations as seriously as everyone else did.

"All that tells me is that I don't have to think about it till morning." Rangiku laid a hand on his upper arm and looked up at him with a smile. "There's nothing we can do about it right now, right?"

Renji sighed with a half smile. Her warmth was infectious. "Sure, I guess it'll have to wait until morning." He playfully pressed Rangiku against the wall next to her door, grinning down at her. "I suppose if you let me in I could allow you to get off your feet. Your tabi must be filthy by now."

"Oh my, Lt Abarai, are you trying to take advantage of a lady's hospitality?" Her voice was pitched perfectly in scandalized tones but the playfulness of her eyes and the grin that tugged at her mouth gave her words the lie.

Renji chortled. "Show me a lady and I'll be sure to tread lightly around her hospitality." He put an arm up to cradle Rangiku's head moved slowly into a long, comfortable kiss. He couldn't deny that having her considerable bosom pressed to his chest was making the whole situation a bit more dizzying than it might perhaps have been otherwise. Nerves were firing throughout his body, particularly below the waist and soon he would have to make some decisions.

Rangiku couldn't help but moan. She just couldn't believe the man. He was all broad, brash muscle and poor impulse control that would suddenly turn into steely obligation and duty. And here he was kissing her like there was no tomorrow, lips burning deep, igniting her core. As usual, she decided to let tomorrow decide for tomorrow. She pressed a thigh between his legs. Her lips tugged into a smile when she realized how far along his body was in responding to hers. She nipped at his lower lip and was rewarded with a grunt and a hand cupping her ass and pulling it closer. Unnoticed, her ever present pink scarf slipped off a shoulder and trailed to the floor.

Renji was keenly aware that if there were any lines left that he didn't want to cross he would have to pull away very soon. But, God, he didn't want to. _So… __**not**__ leaving means…_ He needed just a little more of his mind back and Rangiku's silky tongue taking quick little swipes at his lips wasn't helping. He pulled his head away, ignoring the hand gripping his arm and the dissatisfied pout below him.

"Just gimme a second, dammit." He closed his eyes to try to think but Rangiku wriggled against him, giving him no where to hide.

"Aw, what's the matter Renji? It's not like you've lost your nerve. I know right where you left it." She shifted her pelvis to prove her point. Renji managed to hold himself back and keep his eyes closed. Rangiku was amazed by his control. _This man._ "What do you have to think about so hard?" Rangiku giggled at her own double entendre; Shuuhei would have laughed his butt off.

A crease appeared on Renji's forehead. He opened his eyes. "Look, I just want to know what the hell all the nonsense was about if in the end we just go for a roll in the hay. Which" a hand on her butt tightened "I don't mind. But that's a hell of a lot to put a guy through. What're you after?"

"Hmm." Rangiku ran a hand to Renji's neck and traced the tattoos that grew down the sides. "Maybe it's just that I didn't want to apologize for drinking your sake just yet. Maybe I just wanted to beat you at something." She gave small, sudden smile. "Maybe I wanted to see you come a little undone." She looked him in the eye. "Maybe it's because you never dance with me."

Renji took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "So did you get that tonight? Are you satisfied?"

Rangiku licked her lips. "Well that was like dancing. Maybe better. And I got to see your hair loose. I like it." She smiled broadly and twirled a lock of crimson colored hair around a finger before letting it go. "But you beat me pretty thoroughly." Her smile turned wicked. "Although…"

Renji's eyes narrowed. "Although?"

"Well you still haven't gotten your cup back." Rangiku closed her eyes and gave a small shrug. "I guess if it's over then it doesn't really-"

Across the courtyard a window snapped open and a young face framed by wild silver hair popped out. "Would you two shut up! Some of us don't believe in sleeping during work hours!" The window slipped shut again before Rangiku could say anything to the boy.


	6. All for Want of a Sake Cup pt 2

Yay, the story is complete! And it's still within the day! Well, barely. It's ten minutes to midnight. Anyway, I hope you like it! _On with the show!_

Rangiku giggled helplessly and tilted her head forward until her face met his throat. She felt like coming apart at the seams and suddenly Renji's arms in questionable places felt like a safe place to break, just a little bit. She felt him swallow and placed a light kiss on his Adam's apple. She took a steadying breath. "Let's go inside, huh?" He responded by kissing the top of her head. Then he pulled away enough to let Rangiku open her door. She kept one hand in one of his.

"Rangiku," Renji's voice was soft and low over her ear. "I'm used to competing and seeing things through to the bitter end. That's all that I managed to do tonight. Don't sell yourself short: your daring and your skills made it tough to get even this far."

Rangiku's mouth quirked at a corner and her eyes dropped, lids at half mast. "My daring, huh? Isn't another word for that 'recklessness?'"

Renji sucked in a breath. "It is when guys do it. Or, I guess, anyone outside of Squad 6. Captain Kuchiki doesn't tolerate challenging rules and order."

"Hm." Rangiku grew a little sober. She stepped over the threshold to her quarters and flipped on the light. "Is that why you were so serious and intense out there? You had to impose law and order?" She gave his hand a light tug.

"Well," Renji hesitated. He stepped inside and released her hand. Renji mechanically closed the door and began pulling off his sandals. "Sort of. I mean, yeah, Captain Kuchiki ordered me to capture you – and yeah to tie up my hair too – but…"

"Hmm? Lieutenant Abarai, do you mean to say you had ulterior motives?" Rangiku pointedly looked at his hand removing the second sandal. Her smirk was shameless. She placed a hand at the collar of Renji's kimono and allowed a pair of fingers to slip under it.

Renji froze, unsure of himself for just a second. "Come on." Renji put his hand over Rangiku's wandering hand. "We had unfinished business."

"Had?" Rangiku opened her eyes wide in mock innocence.

Renji barked a dry laugh. "Alright, fine. But you still haven't told me what you're after. Why the hell you'd put me through all of that just to play keep away."

Rangiku felt a little shock run down through her chest and into her belly. She couldn't quite say it. In truth, she didn't know the right words. Just that then, as now, she hadn't wanted to call it a night. She avoided looking Renji in the eye.

Renji's eye's narrowed. There was something he had to know, even if asking got him into trouble. "It's not just... I need to know, it's not that you need someone, anyone so you don't think about-"

"Don't say his name." Rangiku's voice was wooden, her body stiff.

Renji fought the urge to gulp. "Fine. But I have to know for me. I'm not a consolation prize."

Rangiku let out a short breath. "You're no more a consolation prize than I am, I would hope. He's in my past." She looked up at Renji, color high in her cheeks and a determined shape to her mouth. "Isn't she in your past? Rukia-"

"I understand what you mean. Sure, we had our fun but it's over." Renji paused trying to think about where he was going and not thinking of anything. Rukia and he had tried being together only to realize they got along better as friends. Rangiku didn't even have that anymore. As for he and Rangiku...he liked her, rather more than he would have thought just a few hours ago. But the look on her face gave him no hints about what he should do next. Renji sighed. "Alright. Tonight's been crazy enough, I guess." He started to disentangle himself from hand belonging to the beautiful blond. "We're both pretty tired and tomorrow's going to be a long day—"

"No." She took Renji's hands into hers and held them still over his heart. She took a deep breath and looked Renji in the eye. "I…I'd like it if you stayed. I don't know what'll happen tomorrow, and I don't care. Tonight…let's have tonight, ok?"

Renji looked back at Rangiku, heart-stopping face, killer body and a smile that outshone the sun. He tried to remember any objections to her proposal but it was like trying to grab feathers in a windstorm. A fire seemed to light in his belly. His voice was husky. "As if I could say no to you."

Rangiku took hold of both of Renji's hands and took him to the middle of her room. It was a bit untidy with table shoved against a wall, under a window, sundry items tossed onto it in merry disorder. Against another wall was her bedroll with various covers and night clothes strewn about it. The décor was very feminine with flowers in a vase and watercolor paintings of landscapes on the wall. Even the light from a lamp seemed to fall with a delicate, if careless, grace.

In the center of the room Rangiku put Renji's hands over her hips and, looking him in the face and biting her lower lip, she slid one of his hands up along her waist. She pressed his fingers in so he could feel the lines of the fabric. At her bra he jolted in surprise. Rangiku gave a little laugh behind a closed mouth. Renji grinned.

Rangiku giggled even louder, tongue stuck between her teeth. "For safe-keeping, you understand." She placed his hand to the spot where her kimono strained to close over her expansive cleavage. She licked her lips and blushed beautifully.

Renji pressed his hand through, pressing down the part in the collar until he felt skin along the palm of his hand. The skin quivered softly and for his part Renji forced himself to breathe in at a steady pace. He closed his eyes, taking a moment to soak in the sensation. Then, ever so slowly, he slid the hand up and to the side until he could feel the lace of a bra on the back of his hand and a shallow sake cup between his thumb and forefinger. It had been half way tucked under the bottom seam.

Renji laughed and pulled Rangiku into a tight hug. This woman was going to make him crazy in the best possible way. On reaching for the cup and then pulling it out, Rangiku's kimono had fallen open all the way to her hakama, exposing the flimsy lace and breasts. Renji feasted his eyes on the view even as he set the sake cup on the table. He looked one last time into Rangiku's eyes, looking for any reservations. She leered at him, daring him. He gave her a huge grin and tugged Zabimaru free, laying it reverently on the table as well. He then closed his eyes and lowered his head to her breasts and inhaled deeply.

_They always go for the boobs,_ thought Rangiku with no small amusement. _They're so reliable._ She sighed happily as Renji began running his lips over the skin, kissing and lightly tasting it. Her hands were on his back and after a little bit of his ministrations she decided to have some fun of her own. She pulled away long enough to set Haineko on the table as well and then tugged at his kimono, trying to free it of his obi. Renji repositioned her so she leaned against the table and his hips pressed into hers. He nibbled on her neck while loosening his obi and pulling the kimono over his shoulders. His hair swept over Rangiku's face and with a giggle she blew it off only to watch it fall again over her nose and mouth. At a questioning sound from Renji Rangiku said, "Usually it's my hair that goes up someone's nose." Renji growled and bit at her neck. Goosebumps erupted on her neck and flew down her arm as he ran his teeth insistently over the skin.

This time Rangiku had to pull away to catch her breath. She stared at the beautiful man hovering over her, flowing red locks framed prominent cheekbones, a decidedly elegant neck for so much beefcake, and of course shoulders that looked like they could hold up the sky. The tattoos traced lines that ran counter to his muscles and the result was a rippling effect that made Rangiku's mouth run dry. Absently she licked her lips and sucked in a breath.

Renji grinned at her. "See something you like?"

"I'll say." Rangiku growled. She put her hands up to Renji's chest and concentrated on the sensation coming in through her skin. Eyes drifted closed and her lips parted as she breathed through her mouth. She felt Renji's chest shake as he chuckled softly. She opened her eyes slightly when Renji put his hands over hers. They held still for a long moment. Rangiku felt like she couldn't breathe deeply enough, desire was building to an overwhelming point deep inside.

Renji's voice was sly. "I've had enough of being on my feet."

Rangiku nodded dumbly, the sensation of electricity ran through her breath, waves of heat and then cold rolled up her spine, one on top of the other again and again. Renji took a small step back and then leaned into Rangiku. One arm went around her back and the other under her knees. He cradled her gently and lifted her so she curled against his chest. Rangiku put an arm around his shoulders but kept a hand on his chest. When he was sure she was secure Renji stood up straight.

Rangiku pointed. "The bed is that way. Oh! Wait, the light." Renji complied and carried Rangiku toward the switch by the entrance. She reached out to flip off the light and returned to her position. There she nuzzled his neck as he picked his way to her bedroll by the dim light that filtered in through the window.

In the dark he kicked some discarded knick-knack and heard it skitter and crash into a wall. He tightened his grip on Rangiku until she squeaked. "How in the hell did it get this far?"


End file.
